Category Archive for ‘In The News’

Now that we’ve had a little time to consider the news about Amazon coming to the Pentagon City neighborhood of South Arlington, the consensus seems to be that (1) the arrival will have a significant impact on the neighborhood and more generally the entire metro region, and (2) it will be a gradual process that could take up to 10 years to unfold. An estimated 38,000 jobs will relocate to the area over the next 16 years, with the average Continue Reading

Even on a micro level, Arlington VA wins awards, (small but mighty) for its urban and transit planning. In this case, we’re talking about Veitch St. This well-used street in the Arlington zipcode of 22201 represents a major link between the shops and restaurants of the Courthouse neighborhood in North Arlington, and the bike trails that connect Arlington to Washington DC and farther out Fairfax County. Arlington received more than 1,000 votes for its road diet/protected bike lane project on Continue Reading

This has been all the talk for many, many months. Three sources this morning on the news that Amazon is coming (partially) to Crystal City, none direct from Amazon — that is expected tomorrow. Good news for my client who just purchased a beautiful home in Potomac Yard. Wall Street Journal UrbanTurf WSJ: Amazon HQ2 Announcement ‘Imminent’

Steps to Take if Your Home is Flooded By Novelda L. Sommers, Marketing Content Manager, The Long & Foster Companies. If water gets into your house, it can wreak havoc, especially if mold starts to grow. But there are a few things you can do to protect yourself before and after a water-related disaster to save money and headaches. Not all water damage is the same, and different types of insurance coverage are needed for the ways water enters the Continue Reading

Just honored and blessed to have earned the Platinum level (over $30m in sales as individual agent) of this award for the second year running. I am truly grateful for my clients who are smart, witty, wonderful people, and glad to have had the opportunity to treat them honestly and protect their interests in the dog-eat-dog world of real estate.

A big draw for many homebuyers in Arlington is the quality of the county’s schools. While fair housing laws prohibit realtors from commenting on the relative desirability of a school or district, there are many independent websites available for any homebuyer investigating their options: schoolquality.virginia.gov greatschools.org niche.com And since school boundary lines sometimes shift, an agent should always verify the current zoning against the Arlington County website, where up-to-date information can be found for any home address in the county. Continue Reading

Virginia named top state in annual workforce development rankings Governor Ralph Northam recently announced that Virginia rose from second to first in the Atlantic region in a recent analysis of state workforce development activities conducted by Site Selection Magazine. Among the eight states that were ranked, Virginia scored ahead of highly competitive states such as Florida, North Carolina, Maryland and Delaware. This year, the magazine based its analysis on the context in which each state’s workforce development programs are applied Continue Reading

Ballston, Virginia, will soon have a brand new mall known as Ballston Quarter, scheduled to open for business in September. It will feature a 25,000-square-foot food hall, one of the largest in the D.C. area, the mall will also focus on becoming one of the largest entertainment hubs in the region. Nearly 40 percent of the mall will be for entertainment options, which will include a live-action entertainment venue, hands-on cooking classes, and a “sensory-friendly” area for young families to Continue Reading

Residential properties recorded a solid 3.9 percent increase, up from 2.5 percent last year. The value of the average Arlington home, including condominiums, townhouses and detached homes, is now $640,900, up from $617,200 last year. “Year after year, we see through our rising residential property values that Arlington is a place people want to live,” said County Manager Mark Schwartz. “At the same time, we’ll have some challenging budget decisions in the months ahead, given that our overall property values Continue Reading

Here are the key real estate-related items you need to know about the new tax bill. Mortgage interest deductions have been reduced to a combined $750,000 of loan debt for primary residences and second/vacation homes. New homebuyers can deduct interest on up to $750,000 of combined mortgage debt. Current homeowners are grandfathered into the previous deduction to a combined debt limit up to $1 million. Proposals to eliminate the mortgage interest deduction on second and vacation homes were not passed Continue Reading